Bound Together Torn Apart
by Sunset Miko
Summary: Naraku learns something about himself. Written for InuyashaQuotes Week 6 Prompt: The only devils in this world are those running around in our own hearts, and that is where all our battles should be fought. -Mahatma Gandhi


I do not own Inuyasha and Company, no matter how happy it would make me. Rumiko Takahashi does.

This was written for Inuyasha Quotes (community./inuyashaquotes/) Week Six prompt:

The only devils in this world are those running around in our own hearts, and that is where all our battles should be fought.

-Mahatma Gandhi

He could feel it again. It was weak, but growing stronger all the time, though he couldn't fathom how. No matter how hard he tried he was unable to rid himself of it. Somehow it always returned, always reared its ugly head at the most inopportune moments. It wasn't fair! He was the one in charge and had been ever since the day he was born. He shouldn't have second thoughts. He shouldn't feel guilty. He shouldn't have a conscience but he did, in the form of the heart of the man he once was.

It fought against him almost constantly as of late. It got in the way when he was plotting and planning, but it was worse when it popped up out of nowhere when he was actually in the middle of doing something! Really, he was evil! How would it look if he hesitated, even for a second? He couldn't afford to appear weak. It was bad enough his enemies were joining forces against him. It was worse that his incarnations were rebelling. On top of all that, he was still technically just a half demon. Even with his large portion of the jewel it wasn't enough to remove the taint of human that remained.

All things considered, he wouldn't be surprised in the least if they did begin to believe him weak. He needed, no, demanded, the respect and subservience of all demon kind and he wasn't going to get it with Onigumo's heart causing a crisis of conscience in the middle of a battle. He hated feelings, disgusting things. No, he couldn't let it happen again. He absolutely refused. He had to get rid of it once and for all.

It had taken him a while to decide how, but finally he thought of the perfect thing. He would expel it from his body into his next incarnation and then he would kill it! It would be the end of the irritating Onigumo for good. Too bad somewhere inside of him someone had other plans.

It was while he was alone, just sitting and polishing his chunk of shikon and considering all the angles of his plan that he heard laughter echoing in the room. Naraku quickly hid his precious bauble before looking around wildly. How had someone snuck up on him? How had anyone found his palace to begin with? "I'm going to kill Kagura… slowly," he hissed out softly, still searching for the invisible intruder.

"Kagura had nothing to do with this," the voice said darkly before laughing again.

"Who are you? Where are you and what do you want?" Naraku didn't know how to handle something like this. He'd always had the element of surprise. He always had complex plans that played out according to his schedule. He was always well hidden, never risking his true form when he could send a golem instead. How someone had found him, snuck past all his defenses and eluded detection, even at this very moment… he had no idea, but it frightened him more than he would care to admit. He was a sitting duck and he didn't even know what direction to expect the first blow from.

"It doesn't matter who I am, Naraku. You're finished." They'd put up with too much over the years. This would end today.

"Come out and fight like a man!" he challenged, hoping the mystery voice would fall for it.

"Challenging me so I will reveal myself? Sorry to disappoint you, but I will not fall for it."

Now Naraku was even more on edge as it seemed the voice was either very intuitive or could read his mind.

Another chuckle echoed around him. "While I am rather intuitive, that is not how I know what you are thinking. And I am not reading your mind either. Pitiful really. You challenge me to fight like a man, you who never leave the safety of your fortress, you who never face your enemies, sending dolls with bits of hair instead. Pathetic. Do you fear the hanyou and his merry little band of follower so?"

"**I fear no one!"** he screamed, enraged. How dare this… whatever it was… come here and call him a coward?

"You should," the voice whispered in his right ear. When he shot tentacles out of his back and they came in contact with nothing but air he raised them defensively around his body, effectively caging himself inside. "I wasn't expecting you to be so cooperative. Perhaps you will go without a fight."

"I will go nowhere!"

"You will, whether you wish it so or not. Your time has come to an end. Perhaps you would like me to explain? It is not Onigumo's heart that holds you back, but Onigumo himself, with the help of a few others."

"That isn't possible! He died the day he offered his body to the demons."

"Funny thing, that. Onigumo was just one human, one man, but he allowed his body to be feasted on by hundreds of demons, all of which became a part of the creature we are now. The weakest simply ceased to be and the strongest retained their sense of self, as did the soul of the human. The demons that remained combined themselves into something nearly unidentifiable, their individual consciousness mixing as well. All it took was one semi-powerful demon to join with them and you, Naraku, were born. You are nothing but a collection of pathetic demons merged together into a disgusting creature led by the mind of a spider demon."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The voice laughed again, darker and filled with malice. "You have never been alone. We've been waiting and watching since that day and we have decided this has gone on long enough. You should never have tried to free yourself of us. Now we will free ourselves of you."

"I'd like to see you tr…" Naraku started before the need to scream overwhelmed the desire to speak.

"We are tired of being bound together with a creature so hideous and Onigumo's soul is ready for rest," the voice said over the sound of the half demon experiencing the agony of being torn apart piece by piece. Several other voices made noises of agreement, all ignoring the show, and what a show it was.

Naraku was now on his knees, still surrounded by his cage of tentacles, and pieces of flesh and bone were leaving his body, ripping through his skin before disappearing in a puff of smoke and leaving only ashes behind to float to the floor. "Please! Please stop! We can work something out! We can…" he screamed again as a rather large piece of his abdomen ripped away. "I'll do anything! You can have the jewel!"

"You fool. You would never keep your word and we will have the jewel when you are gone, though none of us desires something tainted with such evil."

The personalities, the individuals that made up the, until now hidden, part of Naraku's consciousness, had learned a lot over the years by watching a creature of absolute cruelty kill and destroy with no thought of consequences. They knew they didn't want the jewel. They knew what needed to be done. It was rather anticlimactic when the screaming ended and the remaining parts of Naraku's body broke apart, shifting into the recognizable shapes of several smaller demons. When the spider emerged he didn't have a chance, the others attacking and killing him instantly. The creatures that were once a part of Naraku's body but of independent minds separated, each having something they wished to do or see, all except one.

When Kagura returned and found Naraku missing she was confused, at least until she saw the small white mouse sitting next to the large shard of the jewel. "Finally!" she cried out before carefully scooping the rodent into her hands, grabbing the jewel as well.

"When you left us we told you, did we not, that his end would come soon."

"I wasn't expecting it to take over a year!" she said cheerfully while rushing through the castle. Finally she reached her destination and threw open the door, revealing a surprised Kohaku and an emotionless Kanna. She shot a quick grin at the boy who she knew was going to be rather confused for a while before skidding to a stop in front of Kanna. She knelt down before the child-sized demoness and held the mouse up to her shoulder. The tiny demon crawled over and quickly disappeared into Kanna's long white hair. Kagura watched nervously and laughed when she saw the change in her eyes.

"I am sorry, Kagura, that it took us so long to act. For a time he was succeeding in suppressing us," Kanna said, her voice full of life just like her eyes now that she had the rest of her consciousness back. "Come, we must take the jewel to the miko before it attracts demons now that Naraku is no longer here to shield the castle or the jewel's power."

"Promise me one thing, Kanna," Kagura said seriously. When Kanna nodded she continued. "Promise me that we will never again seek more power."

Kanna gave her a genuine smile. "Never again, my sister. Never again. From this day forward we will be free."


End file.
